Julia-Hartley Brewer said Greta Thunberg is being used for political aims – 9 heated takedowns
Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish climate activist who started the school strike approach to raising awareness, has been in the UK to draw attention to the seriousness of the climate emergency facing us, including giving a speech to MPs in Westminster.
Her stance, style and family have come under considerable criticism from a number of quarters, including Toby Young, right-wing journalist Tom Harwood and *checks notes* Jeremy Corbyn’s brother. The latest voice to chime in has been that of Julia Hartley-Brewer, who couched her criticism as a defence of Greta, but managed to come across as patronising with a side-order of climate-change denial.
Can people please stop attacking *and* deifying Greta Thunberg. She’s a vulnerable 16yr old with Asperger’s who’s terrified her world is about to end. Don’t be cross with her, be bloody furious with the adults who’ve told her those lies and are using her for their political aims.
— Julia Hartley-Brewer (@JuliaHB1) April 24, 2019
The takedowns soon followed.
1.
Woman read a fucking science textbook https://t.co/SeYU6dWldl
— Katie Spalding (@supermathskid) April 24, 2019
2.
Anybody going to take a 16-year-old girl on on the actual science? Toby? Brendan? Julia? No? Ok you stick to her voice and her mum or maybe just shut the fuck up and leave the grownup stuff to the 16-year-olds.
— James Felton (@JimMFelton) April 24, 2019
3.
Hmmm. Who to believe? That brassy lass who gets on Question Time now and then or David Attenborough. Tough call.
— Anthony Dent (@_toosb) April 24, 2019
4.
Hey remember when tobacco, leaded petrol, & asbestos were all found to be perfectly harmless & the capitalists in charge of those industries were entirely vindicated of any wrongdoing? https://t.co/4YvNugSz76
— Handsome Mal (@MaelVogue) April 24, 2019
5.
Please stop attacking Julia. Shes a woman who is afraid of a 16 years old girl. Instead, be furious with the surgeon that removed her brain and replaced it with a rock. It cant be easy. https://t.co/dakzitJ6vq
— WeeHalfPint (@weehalfpintt) April 24, 2019
6.
https://twitter.com/agirlcalledlina/status/1121087289021685760
7.
Climate Change is real.
You should be terrified.
You shouldn't be posting dumb clickbait like this.
— Cyrus Bales (@CyrusBales) April 24, 2019
8.
Science hour with Julie Hateley-Brewer. Should be interesting. Expecting a debate on whether the earth is flat and whether the moon is actually made of cheese.
— Mark Thomas (@dmarkthomas) April 24, 2019
9.
https://twitter.com/SpillerOfTea/status/1121072781016358913
Comedian, Mitch Benn, put Julia Hartley-Brewer’s bad take to bed with this insight.
https://twitter.com/MitchBenn/status/1121083782210179074
